Bill Sampson

Haruka patiently tried to teach me origami at the start of the show, and I promised her that I'd practice.

But I think I need professional help.

This is origami teacher Toshiko Kurata.

I'm hoping that an in-person instructor might help me master the paper crane.

But first, Toshiko is introducing me to an array of papers in front of us.

You've got some tracing paper in front of you.

Is tracing paper any good for making origami?

It's an unforgiving paper.

It remembers every crease.

So if you get it wrong, it's game over.

Yeah, I think so.

Yeah, and it's softer.

So we've got Washi in front of us, we've got Kami in front of us.

What would be best for making a paper crane?

Here we go again.

Time to make the most of paper's handy hydrogen bonds.

We're making movable cranes, and for this, Toshiko chooses the washi paper and recommends that as a beginner, I use cami paper.

OK, really press down on it.

While constructing my crane it becomes clear how much origami relies on paper's memory for past folds.

As you fold and unfold the sheet you use previous creases as a visual guideline for where to fold next.